UMUR "The Art of Dying" is the fourth full-length studio album by US, California based thrash/heavy metal act Death Angel. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in April 2004, almost exactly 14 years since the release of the band´s last studio album "Act III" from April 1990. Death Angel disbanded after their 1991 near fatal tour bus accident, where drummer Andy Galeon was badly injured. He would spend the better part of a year recovering from his injuries during which lead vocalist Mark Osegueda departed (and famously auditioned for the lead vocalist role in Anthrax after Joey Belladonna left). The remaining members (including Andy Galeon) would subsequently form The Organization and release two albums under that monicker. When that band folded in 1995 some years went by before the members were heard of again (some members had a project called Swarm, who released a couple of EPs). That happened in 2001 when Death Angel reunited to play at a benefit concert, which was set up to help pay the medical bills for the cancer treatment of Testament´s Chuck Billy.

Guitarist Gus Pepa wasn´t able to return for the reunion of Death Angel, but with his blessing the band asked longtime friend and fan of the band Ted Aguilar to join. The remaining members of the lineup were also members of the lineup who recorded "Act III (1990)".

Stylistically the material on "The Art of Dying" pretty much continues where "Act III (1990)" left off, although "The Art of Dying" isn´t quite as eclectic and uneven as it´s direct predecessor. The funky bass and rhythms have been left behind in the 90s and most of the alternative metal tendencies were also left were they belong (in the 90s). So most of the material on "The Art of Dying" are in the vein of the most hard edged thrash/heavy metal styled tracks from "Act III (1990)". Death Angel haven´t completely shed their tendencies to make bad decisions, and letting other members of the band sing on "Spirit", "Land of Blood", and "Word to the Wise", makes very little sense when you have a skilled and commanding vocalist like Osegueda in your ranks. Other than that "The Art of Dying" is a good quality comeback album from Death Angel. The album features a well sounding production, stellar musicianship, and for the most part well written, memorable, and powerful material. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Act III" is as the title suggests the third full-length studio album by US, California based thrash metal act Death Angel. The album was released through Geffen Records in April 1990. It´s the successor to "Frolic Through the Park" from 1988 and it would be the last studio album in Death Angel´s original run, as they disbanded after their 1991 near fatal tour bus accident, where drummer Andy Galeon was badly injured. He would spend the better part of a year recovering from his injuries during which lead vocalist Mark Osegueda departed. The remaining members (including Andy Galeon) would subseqently form The Organization and release two albums under that monicker. When that band folded in 1995 some years went by before the members were heard of again (some members had a project called Swarm, who released a couple of EPs). That happened in 2001 when Death Angel reunited to play at a benefit concert, which was set up to help pay the medical bills for the cancer treatment of Testament´s Chuck Billy.

In 1990 all that of course hadn´t happened yet, and Death Angel were still on a rising popularity curve, riding the high peak of thrash metal in 1989/1990. Having an album being released through a major label (who probably spend quite a bit of money hiring producer Max Norman) and being able to promote the album with two singles and accompanying promotional videos, for the tracks "Seemingly Endless Time" and "A Room with a View", which received quite a bit of airplay in those days, Death Angel had plenty of opportunities to recruit new fans.

In their original run Death Angel were an adventurous bunch though, and they weren´t satisfied "just" playing thrash metal. They were still very young when writing and recording the material for "Act III" and they were far from being finished trying out new things and experimenting with their sound. Therefore "Act III" is quite the eclectic thrash/heavy metal album featuring both hard edged thrashy tracks, more melodic tinged thrash/heavy metal tracks, and a couple of tracks which fall under other catagorises of heavy rock/metal (funk, blues, and power ballad acoustic moments). "Discontinued" for example features funky bass and drumming and "A Room with a View" is a mainstream oriented power ballad.

The focus of the music and the main attraction too are the great musicianship. While the album is a bit of an uneven listening experience and I´m not always convinced that the band´s experiments aren´t more interesting than great, the high level musical performances always make "Act III" a worthy listen. The rhythm section are tight and the playing varied, the guitar riffs and solos are intriguing, and lead vocalist Osegueda has a strong voice and a commanding delivery. The album also features an organic, powerful, and overall very well sounding production (which isn´t surprising when Norman is involved) and upon conclusion "Act III" is a good quality release and one of the more adventurous thrash/heavy metal albums from the San Francisco scene (moving into alternative metal territories at times). A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Frolic Through the Park" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, California based thrash metal act Death Angel. The album was released through Enigma Records in July 1988. It´s the successor to "The Ultra-Violence" from 1987. The original vinyl version featured 10 tracks (9 originals and a cover of "Cold Gin" by Kiss), while the CD version features the "Devil's Metal" bonus track. Some later reissues feature all the CD tracks and three additional bonus tracks. A promotional video was shot for "Bored".

Stylistically "Frolic Through the Park" continues the heavy/speed/thrash metal sound of "The Ultra-Violence (1987)". While Death Angel is widely considered a thrash metal act, "Frolic Through the Park" isn´t the most thrashy release from those days. It features just as many speed and traditional heavy metal elements as thrash metal ditto, and there are also alternative metal leanings (before such a term was even coined) like the use of funky rhythms and riffs ("Bored" and "Open Up" are examples of that). Lead vocalist Mark Osegueda is a skilled singer, who can sing both melodic and more raw vocals, and the rest of the band are well playing too.

"Frolic Through the Park" features an organic, raw, and unpolished sound production. The album does not sound like it cost a lot of money to record. I may be wrong but it´s not the best sounding thrash metal release from that time. As mentioned the material on the album is quite varied and it´s both a strength and a weakness. If you´re looking for stylistic consistency and well functioning album flow, this album does not apply. If you on the other hand are looking to be challenged and enjoy variation and stylistic experiments on a thrash metal release, "Frolic Through the Park" could be your poison.

Personlly I´m not sure I find the experimentation and diversity/inconsistency of the material to be other than oddly charming. I would have prefered a more stylistic consistent release. There´s nothing wrong with the quality of the songwriting or the musical performances though and overall "Frolic Through the Park" is a good quality release. To my ears Death Angel still sound like they are searching for their signature sound, which actually isn´t at all odd, as they were still very young in 1988, and most band´s their age wouldn´t have been signed yet, and would probably still be working on demo material. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "The Ultra-Violence" is the debut full-length studio album by US, California based thrash metal act Death Angel. The album was released through Enigma Records in April 1987 (it was already recorded in June 1986). Death Angel was formed in 1982 by cousins Rob Cavestany (guitars), Dennis Pepa (bass), and Andy Galeon (drums). The band members were all very young at the time of forming the band. Especially Galeon must take the prize for being one of the youngest members of a metal band in those days, as he was only 10 years old in 1982. The three-piece were joined by guitarist Gus Pepa and lead vocalist Mark Osegueda to form the lineup who recorded "The Ultra-Violence" (a lineup where the average age of the members was under 20). All members of the band were related by blood, either being cousins, brothers, or second cousins.

So although "The Ultra-Violence" wasn´t released until 1987, Death Angel were an important part of the influential San Francisco thrash metal scene from early on, along with contemporary artists like Exodus and Metallica. Stylistically the material on the 8 track, 45:25 minutes long album also sound similar to other early releases of the genre. Considering the album was released in 1987, it actually sounds a bit dated featuring quite a few speed/traditional heavy metal elements. A feature which wasn´t unusual on 1983-85 releases by contemporary artists, but in 1987 most of those artists had moved on to a more "pure" thrash metal sound.

Considering the young age of the band members, they are all well playing, and lead vocalist Mark Osegueda has a strong voice and a commanding delivery. He is quite a skilled singer, both able to deliver raw vocals and more melodic singing. "The Ultra-Violence" features a raw and unpolished sound production, which like the music also sounds a bit dated compared to 1987 releases by other contemporary artists. The material is well written and effective though and fans of the early- to mid 80s speed/thrash metal releases by artists like Anthrax, Overkill, and Metallica, should find quite a lot to enjoy here. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Under Pressure" is an EP release by US, California based thrash metal act Death Angel.The EP was released through Nuclear Blast in October 2020. Although "Under Pressure" is released under the Death Angel monicker, the EP lineup actually only features two out of five of the band members who recorded their 2019 album "Humanicide".

Guitarist Rob Cavestany and lead vocalist Mark Osegueda opted to work together and record a four-track acoustic EP. Probably as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic isolation situation and the subsequent issues getting the full band together to record new music, but maybe also because it was a project the two musicians had been planning for a while. The title track is cover of Queen (featuring David Bowie). "Faded Remains" is a brand new track, and "A Room With a View" and "Revelation Song" are re-recorded acoustic tracks from previous releases in the band´s discography.

Although Death Angel have been pretty consistent in the quality and style of their material since their comeback in 2001, the pre-split-up part of the band´s discography feature more experiments with other sounds and styles, so it´s not a huge surprise that the band have opted to record and release a fully acoustic EP. There have been sung many accolades of the guitar skills of Cavestany, and it´s safe to say he shines here too. Osegueda has a strong voice and a passionate delivery, and his voice perfectly suits the acoustic material, just as it suits the band´s usual thrash metal sound.

Personally a couple of acoustic tracks aren´t anything which blows my mind, but "Under Pressure" is overall a good quality release, and it´s definitely a worthwhile addition to Death Angel´s discography, and perfectly sums up the band´s eclectic and boundary searching attitude to songwriting. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.